kayb

Ahhh, Sonic, that paragon of Southern drive-in cuisine. You will occasionally find one down here that sells Koolickles. Get a big gallon jug of kosher dills at the supermarket. Pour off the brine. Make up a half-gallon of cherry KoolAid. Pour over pickles. Let sit at least overnight in the fridge; better if you wait two or three days. If I had a dollar for every one of these I'd eaten or bought the kids at the ballpark concession stand...

How sad. I could give up beef much more easily than pork. I'd never make it as a Jew or a Muslim.

Blueberry muffins, with an absolutely unhealthy amount of butter. Muffin s made with Greek yogurt to up the protein content, plus I needed to use the yogurt.

Falafel.

Memphis: There are a lot of great places. I would normally recommend Felicia Suzanne's, which has for years been my favorite restaurant in Memphis, except the last time I was there was the only time I've ever eaten there that it didn't make me say, "Oh, wow!" McEwens and Flight are both really good, downtown; Spindini, on South Main, is the fourth or fifth generation of the historic Grisanti family of Italian restauranteurs; Coletta's, on South Parkway, is oldtime, classic Italian, the oldest restaurant in Memphis; Paulette's, in the River Inn, is a good French bistro. "Out in the country" west of Memphis in Arkansas about 30 minutes, there's Uncle John's, a small-town Italian joint that has MARVELOUS homemade ravioli. I'm talking to die for, here. You take your own wine (no corkage fee!). Open Thursday-Saturday nights only, in Crawfordsville, AR. Of course, there's barbecue. The top 'cue places, in my book, are Central, Payne's, Interstate, Cozy Corner and The BarBQ Shop. Depends on the specific entree and the time of day you want to go. Do not bother with the Rendezvous. Do have a drink in the lobby bar at the Peabody, about 4:30, in time to watch the 5 p.m. duck march. Breakfast, there are a couple of "must" places: There's Brother Juniper's, out by Memphis State, and there's Bryant's, an old-school diner on Summer Avenue. Both are magnificent. Let me know. Would love a chance to meet. In Nashville, there's one choice that stand out above everything: The Catbird Seat. 10-course tasting menu. Experimental foods. Modernist cuisine. Stunning. Get a reservation now, if you can. Other good choices are Husk, and an old-time favorite, Demos Steak and Spaghetti House, in downtown. The Pancake Pantry is great for breakfast, but be ready to stand in line. I'm fond of Pfunky Griddle, where you cook your own pancakes on an in-table grill, and add the add-ins you want. I'd be thrilled at the opportunity to meet you in Memphis (an hour for me) and eat any meal you can accommodate in your schedule. I've got a host of other lunch spot recommendations, and can come up with a hatful of other dinner suggestions as well.

You can always pause Stevie Ray and start him back when you get back.

There is certainly that!

We have blueberries just ripening in Arkansas (upper southern US)

I will stick to the hash browns and apple pies, thanks anyway.

Baffert had it going on, didn't he?

Your boyfriend is one fortunate man. I ain't seen the man yet I'd do that for.

Also Wright's bacon. With a couple of slabs of a brioche-ish bread I'd made a while back, sliced and frozen. Because I was in the mood for French Toast. I let my eyes overload my plate. I ate about half of this. Just can't eat sweets like I used to.

A trio of salads, picked up from a local caterer yesterday afternoon, because I could and I didn't want to cook. Marvelous pasta salad, nothing-out-of-the-ordinary fruit salad, and really good chicken salad. Note -- I'd called in an order and was hustling to get there before they closed at 2 on Friday afternoon (they're 25 minutes away and I left at 1:30). Several traffic laws may have been broken. In a rush, when the kid asked me how much I wanted, I said, "a quart of each." Can I just tell you, a quart of chicken salad is a helluva lot of chicken salad? Anyone want a chicken salad sandwich?

Here's my haul from the market this morning: New potatoes, eggplant, blueberries, blackberries, romaine, onions, zucchini, yellow squash, peaches, Carolina gold tomatoes, Arkansas Travelers tomatoes. I'll have all this in my garden, except the eggplants and fruit and potatoes, by next weekend, but nothing yet. Lots of green tomatoes on the vines. Beans are looking nice. Grass crop is looking quite healthy. June and July are prime market months. We'll start getting sweet corn around the end of June. I've found a local grower who is growing Silver Queen, and already reserved 120 ears to cut off and freeze. My two rows of Kentucky Wonders are looking pretty good, albeit fighting with the grass. Got to get out this week and stick them. Maybe Monday morning.

Just marvelous! I like the subs as well. I thought the kohlrabi WAS scallops, sliced in half horizontally, which intrigued me. Congratulations on your anniversary, and I, too, hope you celebrate No. 22 there next year!

That sucker has showed up with a vengeance. I have named it "The Beast." This is what it wanted for breakfast. Yesterday, it wanted Thai, so I fed it panang curry, followed by frozen yogurt to chill the burn. I may gain back those seven pounds I didn't really intend to lose.

That'd do it. I'm good to go.

Still holding out on that one. May not last much longer. Damn whoever it was suggested I could use muffin tins and not need mini-tart pans...

Sad. Wasn't a huge fan, didn't watch his show, but his book was hysterical. Depression is an ugly thing. Hope he's at peace now.

Is there popcorn?

Some days, you want traditional. Hash browns, eggs, bacon, biscuits, sorghum molasses with butter. Orange juice and coffee.

Happy anniversary. BTW, do you weigh 9,000 pounds? I would. But Gawdamighty, those are gorgeous meals.

Now that one, I had to get. It intrigues me.

Be still, my heart. Possibly my favorite fish.

Day three holdout.